Vancouver may not be the fashion capital but the number of events happening every week can rival any other fashionable city. Last week, Holt Renfrew invited media to preview the new Chanel Cosmetics Counter. Since I was an ocean away, my good friend Lisa of Solo Lisa offered to attend on my behalf and guest write about the event. I was more than thrilled as she’s a wonderful writer – yes it’s her day job! Not only do we share the love of Chanel handbags (bag twins!), we’re also avid fans of Chanel cosmetics – visiting the counter together and never leaving empty-handed! Without further ado, enjoy Lisa’s coverage on the event:
By: Lisa (Solo Lisa)
Carolina and I are both huge fans of Chanel. From quilted 2.55 purses to their breathtaking runway shows to the must-have nail colours each season, everything that the infamous couture house does is infused with class, elegance, and luxury. So when she offered me her invite to the Holt Renfrew Vancouver launch of Chanel's newly renovated cosmestics and fragrance space, I immediately said yes. After all, what fashion blogger in her right mind would say no to Chanel? Other bloggers and media personnel evidently thought the same thing because the launch party was quite well-attended. Guests sipped champagne and nibbled on hors d'oeuvres as they admired the space and sampled the cosmetics. I spotted fellow bloggers Christie Lohr, Heidi Hofstad, and Niki Blasina chatting and enjoying themselves.
As beautiful as the entire space is, the crowning centrepiece of it all is the Espace Parfums and Olfactive Bar. Designed as an inviting place in the midst of a large department store, the Olfactive Bar raises the experience of choosing a perfume to another level. Customers seated in Chanel tweed chairs are told the histories behind different fragrances as they sniff ceramic blotters proffered by a fragrance expert. (The blotters are dipped in fragrance once a week and stored in test-tube-like vials embedded in the counter. Unlike spritzing a paper strip, which can create a "wet paper smell" that interferes with the light top notes, the blotter lets you have a more accurate impression of what the fragrance smells like.) To relieve fatigued olfactory senses, customers sniff ceramic blotters suffused with the smell of coffee at regular intervals. I watched as May Globus, a writer for sweetspot.ca and The West Ender, had her fragrance consultation.
Something else that caught my eye? The wall of Chanel No. 5 bottles and the flat-screen TV playing a short Chanel film starring Audrey Tautou.
A big thanks to Holt Renfrew and Chanel for hosting such a wonderful event, and to Carolina for allowing me to cover it in her stead!
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